Safe Zone

Safe Zone Program

The Lock Haven University Safe Zone program is designed to provide students with a
safe and welcoming environment on campus. This is done by helping to develop allies
on campus. An ally is a member of the dominant group who joins with members of an
oppressed group to fight for and work toward equality. Most people develop an ally
identity over time; a four step model is used to explain this process - awareness,
knowledge, skills, and action. Lock Haven University uses the LGBTQ Supporter program
to help people develop both awareness and knowledge. Those people who are ready to
move on to the skills and action steps may go through additional training to become
Safe Zone Allies.

The Safe Zone Program focuses on increasing allies' skills and willingness to act.
In ally development generally, the skills step is teaching people the skills necessary
to communicate their knowledge to others. This may be educational communication to
various constituencies, but it is also the skills to communicate with LGBTQ students
who may be in crisis and need resources that we can provide. Before becoming an ally,
people will attend training beyond the LGBTQ Supporter program to develop these skills.

The final step in ally development is action. Although the Safe Zone program will
include discussions of action in the training workshop, action is something that is
inherently individual. The ally must choose to perform some behavior. People with
awareness, knowledge, and skills that do not act are not allies. In fact, action is
vital for allies to the LGBTQ communities because of the strong pressure LGBTQ people
still face to hide their true identities. It is the actions of allies that help develop
an environment in which those who identify with the LGBTQ communities can feel safe.

Therefore, all Safe Zone allies are required to attend at least one LGBTQ related
program per year. This will help encourage action, increase the equality of campus
climate through well attended LGBTQ events, and allow allies to continue to grow in
knowledge.

You can generally recognize Safe Zone Allies by the logo that is on their door, bulletin
board, or desk. Click on the Allies Logo link to the left to see our new logo, designed
by Lock Haven University student Demetreus Addison.

If you are interested in the Safe Zone Allies training, please contact Tara Mitchell
at 570-484-3866 or via email at tmitchel@lhup.edu.